The Charles County Sheriff's Office announces two red light cameras have been installed at the intersection of Bryantown and Leonardtown roads in Bryantown. The cameras photograph vehicles traveling through red traffic signals in the northbound and southbound lanes of Leonardtown Road. This is the third set of red light cameras installed in Charles County. The Sheriff's Office first installed red light cameras in September 2001 on northbound and southbound Crain Highway at Leonardtown and Berry roads and at Acton Lane.

"The red light cameras have reduced crashes at the two intersections in Waldorf and I believe we'll see the same results in Bryantown," said Charles County Sheriff Frederick E. Davis. "This intersection has experienced a high number of severe crashes that involved motorists who ran red lights. The community has expressed their concerns about this intersection, and we're taking action. With the installation of the cameras, we are addressing a major public safety problem." The Bryantown cameras were installed Feb. 18, but the Sheriff's Office did not begin issuing citations until Feb. 25, to allow enough time ensure the accuracy of the camera system. Since then, the cameras have resulted in 225 citations, including 67 issued to southbound drivers and 158 to northbound drivers.

The Bryantown red light cameras differ from the cameras in Waldorf in that they use a laser installed above ground to detect red light runners and the photographs are captured digitally as opposed to using wet film. The other cameras used sensors in the roadway to trigger the camera when motorists drove through red lights, a process that involved road construction. Another benefit to the new process is the digital pictures are not captured using a flash, so license plate covers and sprays that cause a glare on tags are ineffective. The Sheriff's Office has plans to replace the four cameras in Waldorf with the digital system used in Bryantown.

"Not only do we want to hold red-light runners accountable for their actions, but our ultimate goal is to reduce the number of crashes and violations at that intersection," said Sheriff Davis. "Anyone who runs a red light poses a serious threat to public safety, and no matter how much time they think they'll save by not stopping, it is not worth the risk of being involved in a serious crash." Red light cameras photograph vehicles - not drivers - that travel through red traffic signals. Each photograph is reviewed by a red light camera technician before a citation is mailed.

Anyone who receives a citation and has questions should contact a red light camera technician at 301-932-3519.